Village of Plover voters go to the polls Tuesday, Sept. 12, to cast their ballots on an advisory referendum about locating a casino in the village.
Village and Portage County officials began private talks with the Lac du Flambeau band of the Chippewa Indians about the possibility of constructing a $50 million casino-hotel-convention center complex in the village in July and information about those talks leaked out in early August.
The village is one of several municipalities around the state involved in talks with the band about a casino off the band's reservation. After the village vote, the Village Board will make a decision Wednesday, Sept. 13, and the County Board is scheduled for vote on the proposal Thursday, Sept. 14, even though none of its committees has met on the proposal.
The band reportedly wants a decision by the end of the month about favorable sites so it can advance the proposal to the state and Gov. Tommy Thompson. The quick timetable reportedly reflects the possibility that Thompson may accept a Cabinet job in Washington if George W. Bush is elected president.
Lt. Gov. Scott McCallum, who would succeed Thompson as acting governor, is opposed to the expansion of gambling in the state, and the band reportedly suspects he would oppose their proposal if Thompson doesn't act on it soon.
Details are sketchy about the proposed development, although they seem to mirror proposals in other counties. Of those counties, Lafayette County has approved the band's request to locate there, while Brown, Outagamie and other counties are still considering the proposals.
The band is proposing a $50 to 100 million development on 60 to 120 acres in the Plover area, with the hotel-motel complex having a minimum of 300 rooms. The convention center would be 55,000 to 60,000 square feet and serve 1,500 to 2,000.
The size of the casino isn't identified, but that property would become sovereign land, exempt from taxes. County officials say the gaming facility will have 2,500 slot machines and 40 to 60 blackjack tables.
More than 1,200 people would be employed full-time at the complex, according to various officials, with wages ranging from $4.25 per hour plus tips to $20 per hour plus benefits. Another 300 part-time employees would also be hired.
The tribe would pay $4 million for 20 years to be divided between the village and county and estimate that property taxes would exceed a total of $1.4 million, including $250,000 for the village.
Although the hotel would be similar in size to the Holiday Inn Convention and Expo Center in Stevens Point, those projections are greater than what the Holiday Inn produces. The fair market value of the Holiday Inn, according to city records, is more than $13 million, which resulted in $343,717 in property taxes for 1999. Often, large buildings are assessed at less than their construction costs because their market value is considered less.
In addition, the hotel/motel tax is estimated to generate $209,000 to $234,000 annually to Plover, and the tribe would pay utility connection fees for service charges and make payments in lieu of taxes and community gifts in support of community services.